▶ USAGE A distinction is usually made between practical and practicable. Practical refers to a person, idea, project, etc, as being more concerned with or relevant
to practice than theory: he is a very practical person; the idea had no practical application. Practicable refers to a project or idea as being capable of being done or put into effect: the plan was expensive, yet practicable

SYNONYMY NOTE: practical stresses effectiveness as tested by actual experience or as measured by a completely
realistic approach to life or the particular circumstances involved; , practicable is used of something that appears to be capable of being put into effect, but has
not yet been developed or tried [before the era of electronics, television did not seem practicable; today it is but one of the practical applications of the science]

Example sentences containing 'practical'

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These are practical people who may lack social skills. Times, Sunday Times (2016)Offer practical help such as gardening for her mum or run her to hospitalappointments. The Sun (2016)Take practical steps to cut down on the habit. The Sun (2017)He combinedsocialistideals with a deep practical experience of how most people lived and thought. Times, Sunday Times (2016)But just because these technologies are thrilling doesn’t mean they don’t have practical business applications. Computing (2010)But it is not easy to be practical about it. Times, Sunday Times (2016)It’s proved very difficult to make these systems fast and robust enough to be of practical use in the real world. Smithsonian Mag (2017)A political move rather than a practical one. Times, Sunday Times (2016)These are just two examples of the practical benefitsavailable to SMEs that are prepared to join the onlineconversation and get their message across. Computing (2010)These are practical people who may lack social skills. Times, Sunday Times (2016) Offer practical help such as gardening for her mum or run her to hospital appointments. The Sun (2016)Take practical steps to cut down on the habit. The Sun (2017)He combined socialist ideals with a deep practical experience of how most people lived
and thought. Times, Sunday Times (2016)But just because these technologies are thrilling doesn’t mean they don’t have practical
business applications. Computing (2010)But it is not easy to be practical about it. Times, Sunday Times (2016)It’s proved very difficult to make these systems fast and robust enough to be of practical
use in the real world. Smithsonian Mag (2017)A political move rather than a practical one. Times, Sunday Times (2016)These are just two examples of the practical benefits available to SMEs that are prepared
to join the online conversation and get their message across. Computing (2010)The captain had putreligion to practical use.Aldiss, Brian Somewhere East of Life (1994)The objection to this is practical rather than philosophical. Times, Sunday Times (2009)The advice from the experts was practical and extremely useful. Times, Sunday Times (2009)Yet it seemed that it was practical people who were wanted.Edward Beauclerk Maurice THE LAST OF THE GENTLEMEN ADVENTURERS: Coming of Age in the Arctic (2004)You can be making a good recovery but still be troubled by something practical. The Sun (2015)There is now much evidence that the bestscienceteachingneeds practical work and experiments. Times, Sunday Times (2011)You can really get your message across and find practical ways to make home life run smoothly. The Sun (2016)This is simply a sense of practical justice. Times, Sunday Times (2009)You need to take practical steps now. The Sun (2008)The entrepreneur has alsolaunched a scholarship to help one student a year gain practical experience overseas. Times, Sunday Times (2013)The unioncontends that the practical difficulties involved are more pressing than the theoretical advantages. Times, Sunday Times (2006)The practical applications of science were always a focus and motivation for his work. Times, Sunday Times (2012)The practical benefits to our economy of taking back responsibility for employment law would be small. Times, Sunday Times (2013)What practical purpose is served in pointing who is up and who down in nationaleconomicleagues? Times, Sunday Times (2007)The cars are practical and easy to load. Times, Sunday Times (2013)Some practical measures should be taken to thwart these plans. Times, Sunday Times (2015)What are the practical implications for us? Christianity Today (2000)The page offers practical tips for those seeking to move. Times, Sunday Times (2014)The experiences taught him invaluable practical lessons. Times, Sunday Times (2009)She is above all patriotic and endowed with practical common sense. Times, Sunday Times (2015)Is fat of any practical use to the body?Erdmann, Robert & Jones, Meirion Fats, Nutrition and Health (1991)One of the reasons people had patternedcarpets was practical rather than aesthetic. Times, Sunday Times (2015)We just focus on the practical things that people can do. Times, Sunday Times (2010)You want something practical with steelforks which'll give you flexibility and strength. Times, Sunday Times (2008)

Trends of 'practical'

Extremely Common. practical is one of the 1000 most commonly used words in the Collins dictionary